Fire-escape.



PATENTED AUG. 13. 1907.

J. M. ROACH.

A FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLIOATION FILED 4113.2, 1906.

nve'fzfor MHH/@Roach Wtnelsses.'

wifey..

UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed April 2, 1906. Serial No. 309,515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MARION Roxen, ofthe city of Los Angeles, in the county oi Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new or Improved Fire-Escape for Buildings, oi which the following is a full, clear, and exact description or specification, reference being had to the annexed drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon.

My said invention which relates to a new or improved lire escape has for its object to provide means for persons in buildings to escape therefrom easily and quickly on the occurrence of a fire in a building, and to at once pass to the exterior thereof through the windows and other openings in the outer walls of building.

The device constituting my invention is applied wholly to the exterior of the buildingand no parts thereof are in the building, and it is capable of being` operated by an electric motor, by a steam, gas, gasolene or compressed air engine, or by hand, as is shown upon the accompanying drawings.

Manual power is suflicient to operate the device constituting my invention, when the height of the building is not great, say not more than two or three stories in height, but when the building is oi a greater height, then I operate the driving gear oi my mechanism by means oi an electric motor, or an engine operated by steam, gas, gasolene, compressed air, and when available by hydraulic pressure.

Upon the annexed drawings Figure 1, is a diagrammatic iront elevation of a portion oi a building three stories in height, indicated by dotted lines showing the apparatus constituting my invention asadapted for a fire escape applied thereto. Fig. 2, is in part a transverse section oi the building, and in part an elevation oi the cage and operating gear for being raised and lowered from the top to the bottoni story and horizontally across the iront of the buildingso as to be situated in iront of any vertical row of windows and other openings in the iront, sides or back of the building as may be required.

My invention consists oi the horizontal rails A, which are fastened at the top of the building, and of the horizontal rails B, which are fastened at the bottom of the building. The mode of fastening these rails to the building does not constitute any part of my invention, but as shown by the drawing Fig. 2, they are conveniently held to the building by means oi horizontal studs C, passed through holes in the upper and lower rails A, and B, and held in the masonry oi the building. In addition to the upper and lower rails A, and B, I use intermediate rails D, and E, similarly fastened to the iront, sides, and back of the building as may be required. Upon the several rails A, B, D, and E, the vertical guide bars F, F, are carried by the several anti-friction rollers G, so that the framing constituted Vof the vertical bars F, F, and the cross bars H, i

may move with maximum oi ease by rolling by means of the several anti-friction rollers G, upon the horizontal rails A, B, D, and E. Within o1' between the vertical bars F, F, the cage I, Figs. l, and 2, is situated, and is capable oi being slid upwards and downwards between the bars F, F, by means ofthe winch J, operated by the handle K, situated between and at the lower part of the bars F, F, The rope L, wound upon the drum of the winch I, passes upwards between the cage I, and the wall of the iront, sides or back of the building whereto my tire escape is applied, and the said rope L, is carried through pulley blocks M, and N, at the top of the building, and to the upper' part of the cage I, respectively, a sufficient number of times to multiply the power applied to the winch J, and thereby to enable the cage I, to be easily lifted and held at any required position or height between the vertical bars F, F. In this manner the cage I, is readily moved vertically into position outside any window or windows from which persons can escape from a fire within a building, while the said apparatus is moved horizontally in front of a building by the ends of the rope or cable O, being connected to the barrels P, and Q, respectively, of two other winches operated by the handles I, and Qf.

The pinions B, R, on the shafts S, S, upon which shafts the handles P, and QQ respectively, are carried, respectively gear with the two spur wheels T, T, and U, and U, oi' each of the Winches shown at the lowerright and` left hand ends of Fig. l, of the drawings, and in addition to the ropes O, connected to the winding drums I), and Q, respectively, and passed over the anti-friction rollers V, V at the top of Fig. 2, the other winding drums W, Wf, oi the said winches are connected by cross ropes X, so that by turning either handle P, or Q according to the position of the attendant in relation to the lire escape apparatus, the cage I, and the vertical bars F, F, and the raising and lowering mechanism connected with the cage I, are moved horizontally to any required position on the iront, sides or back of the building to which my said fire escape may be applied. The rope X, has its respective ends connected to the drums W, and WC so that the turning of either handle P, or QQ causes both ofthe ropes O, and X, to be wound on either of the barrels P, and W, and wound off from either of the barrels P, and W, or oppositely, according to the direction in which the horizontally movable frame and its cage I, have to be traversed.

It is to be understood that although I have upon the annexed drawings shown but 011e cage and one vertical guide and carrying apparatus in which such cage is moved vertically upwards and downwards in any required position, and moved horizontally to any required position so as to bring the cage of the apparatus in iront of any window or door-way opening from the iront, sides or back oi any building, that my apparatus instead oi being constructed with a single cage operated as hereinbeiore described, mayl also be constructed With tWo or more cages operated in the same manner as is hereinbeiore described, and with such additional cage or cages either in a vertical horizontally movable frame provided with guide bars or rods, and raising and lowering mechanism for each cage, or that each such cage may be carried in one such horizontally movable framing as is hereinbeiore described, in which case each such cage is operated by separate and independent mechanism or Winding gear for traversing the saine horizontally along the iront, sides or back of a building.

It is to be understood that although I have not herein described any particular material for constructing the bottom, the top, the sides and the ends of the cage or cages used in connection with my said invention, yet I desire it to be understood that I prefer to employ material having asbestos or equivalent lire resisting material as its base, which may be filled into the panels of the iioor or root oi the cage, as Well as into the panels forming the sides and ends, or door thereof.

It is further to be understood that the cage forming part oi the apparatus constituting my present invention, may be used as a means ier carrying one or more firemen, and one or more flexible hose oi pipe, which the fireman or liremen in holding in their hands can with acility direct to any part o the iire Within the building.

I claim as my invention.

The iire escape apparatus consisting of the horizontally movable vertical frame, the anti-friction rollers carried thereby, the horizontal rails on the vertical tace of the building; upon which the vertical frame is supported, the cage operated vertically upwards and downwards in the vertical frame, the winch operating the cage in the vertical frame, the double geared Winches, the rope connecting' the outer drums of the double geared Winches, the antifriction pulleys upon which said rope is supported, the 40 inner drums of the double geared Winches, the rope passing directly from one of the inner drums to the other of the inner drums and operatively connecting said inner drums ot the double geared Winches, the crank handles and pinions for operating the spur gear of the double geared Winches, all substantially as hereinbefore described.

.TOHN MARION ROACH.

Witnesses z M. E, BARTON, ANnnnw J. COPP, Jr. 

